Freeland w



(No Model.)

P. W. OSTROM.

CLAMP OPERATING MECHANISM FOR BUTTON HOLE SEWING MACHINES.

No. 398,344. Patented Feb. 19, 1889.

Phnlo-Lithngmphcr, Washingion. n. c,

" UNHED STATES PATENT Trice,

FREELAND V. OSTROM, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE .SVHEELER & \VILSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CLAMP-OPERATING lVIECHA'NlSM FOR BUTTON-HOLE SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,344, dated. February 19, 1889,

Application filed May 20, 1886. Serial No. 202,733. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concur/t:

Be itknown that I, FREELAND W. ()s'raon, of Bridgeport, county of Fail-held, and State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Cloth-Clamping Mechanism for Button-Ilole-Stitching Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specificati in, like letters on the drawings representin like parts.

IO In machines for stitching lmtton-holes it is customary to hold the material between the members of a clamp, the upper member being raised whenever it is desired to unelamp the material by a movement produced by the hand I 5 of the operator.

In stitching button-holes rapidly by machinery the operator has frequently to clamp and unclamp the material, and usually has to trim the threads from the holes, mark the goods for the next button-hole, and cut the same, and the operator to perform all this work properly has very considerable to do, and the time consumed by the operator in laying down and picking up her scissors and other tools, which are almost constantly in use, in order to operate the clamp, is very considerable, and results in quite a loss in the aggregate. To obviate this consumption of time and enable the operator to have the free use of both her hands in preparing, gaging,

cutting, and trimming, or otherwise manipulating her work, I have provided means whereby the clamp may be operated from the under side of the machine table or bench by or 3 5 through some member of the body other than the hands whenever it is necessary to change the position of the material in the clamp.-

In this present embodimentof my invention I have shown the clamp as actuated by levers under the control, one of the foot and the other of the knee, the said levers being joined to one member of the clamp by a connection which in. practice will preferably be a chain; but it may be a cord or rod suitably jointed, the foot being preferable when the power-driven shaft is controlled by usual stopmotions and the knee-lever for foot-power, the left foot with usual power-driven machines being free for such purpose; but when the machine is driven by foot-power, as it may readily acted upon by the foot or leg.

Figure 1. in side elevation represents my i improvements connected to a sewing-machine on a table; Fig. 2, a detail showingpart of the table and the clamp in side elevation, the connector below the knee-lever shaft being omit- 6 5 ted; and Fig. 3, a top or plan view, on a smaller scale, of the clamp resting upon the cloth-plate of the machine and part of the table-top.

The sewingmachine herein shown and marked A and the cloth-clamp-fceding mech- 7o anism B are and may be of usual construction.

The machine and cloth clanip-feeding mechanism herein shown are substantially as described in United States Patent No. 303,453, and known as the \Vheeler & \Vilson automatic button-hole-stitching machine.

The machine is shown as mounted upon a table, 0, of usual construction, the said table having, as herein shown, a rod, 0, to support the foot-treadle 0 but the said treadle may be supported in any usual manner.

I have also mounted below the table in suitable bearings a shaft, D, having attached to it a kneedever, D the opposite end of the said shaft having an arm, D As herein shown, I have also attached to the said shaft a second arm, D having a pin, D which, acting against one of the said bearings or a stationary part of the table, serves as a back stop to prevent unduly straining the upper member, G, of the cloth-clamp.

The lower member, G, of the cloth-clamp, having, as usual, an opening for the passage of the needle in stitching the material held between the said. lower member and the up per member, G, has erected upon it a block,

a, to which is hinged or pivoted at a the up per member, G, of the clamp, it having an opening for the passage of the needle and also having connected to it below and about said opening a cloth presser-foot, H, substantially such as shown in the patent referred to. The lower member at its forward end, nearest the operator, has its edge passed under a button, a, which prevents the twisting or straining of the said member G when the clam p is being operated from below the table. Thelower member, G, of the clamp has a stud, a, which extended through a hole in the upper member, where it receives upon it a spring, and thereafter a nut, a by which to regulate the pressure of the said spring, the spring acting to force the upper member down upon the material laid between it and the lower member to be stitched.

The upper member, G, has, as herein shown, an ear or post, 19, to which is jointed an arm,

G the said arm being of greater or less length to enable it to be properly and conveniently joined to the connector E, which, extended be low the table, is to be employed to operate the clamp whenever it is necessary to change the position of the material therein. By hinging the arm G, as shown, it 'is free to turn upon its pivot b when the machine is tipped over upon itssi de upon the table C, which is frequently done in use; but, if desired, this arm may be connected rigidly to the main part G of the clamp and the top of the table be cut out for the reception of the end of the arm Gr when the machine is tipped over. When the arm G is jointed, as shown, the block a at the rear end of the portion G of the clamp acts as a fulcrum for it. The jointing of the arm G is a matter of very considerable convenience in packing machines for shipment.

The connector E herein shown, and which I. prefer to use, is represented as a chain. This connector at a point below the table is shown as jointed not only to one end of the arm D of the shaft 1) to be actuated by the knee, but also to'the treadle or foot-piece C so that by the pressure of the foot or some part of the leg the connector may be mox ed to effect such a movement of the cloth-clamp as will enable the operator to move the work or change its position in the clamp, this be- 1 ing done without the assistance of the hand of the operator.

The connector shown, being flexible, may be run in any desired direction and be made to run against rollers or sheaves whenever it touches an y part between the clamp and treadle.

I claim- 1. The combination, with the stitch-forming mechanism, of abutton-hole sewing-machine and a cloth-holdingclamp having reciprocating movements in opposite directions parallel to the length of the button-holewhile the said button hole is being stitched, an arm, G projecting from the cloth-holding clamp, a lever constructed to be operated by an operators knee or foot, and a connector interposed between the arm and lever, substantially as described. v V

2. The combination, with the stitch-forming mechanism, of a button-hole sewing-machine and a cloth-holding clamp having 'reci'procat ing movements in opposite directions parallel to the length of the button-hole while the said button-hole is being stitched, an arm, G pivoted to the cloth-holding clamp, a lever constructed to be operated by an operators knee or foot, and a connector interposed between the arm and lever, substantially as described.

In a button-hole sewing-machine, the bedplate, combined with the cloth-holding clamp and a button for securing it thereto, the arm 1 hinged to the upper member of the clamp, a knee or foot lever arranged below the table,

FREELAND W.

*itnesses:

G; W. Gnneon'v, F. CUTTER.

os'rnon.

and a flexible connector uniting the arm and 

